2000 Jeep Wrangler

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 JEEP WRANGLER. WHILE AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WAS SERVICING THE VEHICLE, HE OBSERVED THE CHASSIS WAS RUSTED. AS A RESULT, THE ENTIRE CHASSIS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 87,000. UPDATED 11/18/15*LJ

PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE IN 21013 FROM A PRIVATE SELLER. UPON CHANGING THE ENGINE OIL ONE DAY SHORTLY THEREAFTER, NOTICED THE PASSENGER SIDE FRAME AREA, WHERE THE REAR, LOWER CONTROL ARM IS MOUNTED, WAS COMPLETELY RUSTED THROUGH! I HAVE SINCE HAD THIS REPAIRED, AT AN ADDITIONAL COST OF $800.00. ALSO, NOTICED THE PASSENGER SIDE FRAME ALL ALONG WHERE THE TRANSMISSION SKID PLATE IS MOUNTED - IS COMPLETELY RUSTED THROUGH ALONG APPROXIMATELY 8" ALONG THE BOTTOM! I CAN RUN 4 FINGERS IN THE BOTTOM OF THIS FRAME! AND, THE FRONT SKID PLATE NUTSERTS ON BOTH SIDES OF THE SKID PLATE, ARE GONE! RUSTED AWAY - COMPLETELY! PREVIOUS OWNER HAD THE SKID PLATE ACTUALLY WELDED TO THE FRAME! THIS SHOULD NEVER, EVER HAPPEN! I HAVE A 2003 TOYOTA 4RUNNER WITH ZERO FRAME RUST - ZERO! LOOKS BRAND NEW TO THIS DAY! COME TAKE A LOOK. MANY, MANY, MANY AND WAY TOO NUMEROUS TO MENTION PEOPLE HAVE THIS SAME FRAME RUST PROBLEM ON THEIR JEEPS. WHY IS THIS? THIS IS NOT SAFE, YET THESE VEHICLES ARE RE-SOLD OVER AND OVER AGAIN. THIS IS 2015. NO OTHER VEHICLE - AMERICAN OR IMPORT - HAS THIS PROBLEM. WHY IS THIS ALLOWED TO HAPPEN? MUST PEOPLE GET KILLED DURING THEIR ENJOYMENT OF THEIR SUPPOSEDLY "SAFE", IN THIS CASE, AMERICAN MADE VEHICLE BEFORE DEALERS AND THE NHTSA WILL APPLY A REPAIR BULLETIN? TOYOTA, IS STILL BUYING BACK TRUCKS WITH FRAME RUST - WHY ISN'T THE AMERICAN COMPANY CHRYSLER? HMMMM. *TR

I HAVE A 2000 JEEP WRANGLER WITH ONLY 44,500 MILES. ALTHOUGH IT HAS BEEN DRIVEN IN THE SNOW OCCASIONALLY, IT IS NOT A DAILY DRIVER AND IS KEPT IN A GARAGE. THE FRAME HAS RUSTED THROUGH ON BOTH SIDES AT THE ATTACHMENT POINT OF THE REAR AXLE LOWER CONTROL ARMS. THIS SEEMS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM IN ALL JEEP TJ TYPE WRANGLERS AND IS ATTRIBUTED TO THE LACK OF DRAIN HOLES IN THE FRAME. PERHAPS A RECALL SHOULD BE CONSIDERED AS THIS COULD CAUSE A LOSS OF CONTROL. *TR

AFFECTED PARTS: FRAME AND SUSPENSION LAST WEEKEND I WAS DRIVING 2000 JEEP TJ THOUGHT I HAD A SHOCK MOUNT BREAK. THE JEEP WOBBLED AND I LOST CONTROL OF KEEPING THE JEEP STRAIGHT IN MY LANE ALMOST HITTING A CAR IN THE OTHER LANE. I CHECKED UNDER THE JEEP AND NOTICED THE REAR PASSENGER LOWER TRAIL ARM BROKE TOTALLY AWAY FROM THE FRAME DUE TO RUST. LOOKING ON FORUMS AND THE WEB READ ABOUT SAFETCAP AUTORUST FRAME SECTIONS. SO THINKING THIS MIGHT BE AN OPTION TO REPAIR IT ASKED A FRIEND THAT USED TO WORK AT A BODY SHOP TAKE A LOOK. HE TOOK A LOOK AND WAS SHOCKED HOW BAD THE JEEP WAS RUSTED FOR BEING A 2000. DIDN'T NOTICE UNTIL WE LOOKED AGAIN BUT THE SKID PLATE IS ALSO FALLING AWAY FROM THE FRAME. HE IS NOT SURE HE WOULD HAVE ANY GOOD METAL TO WELD TO AND ALSO SAID IT WILL BE LIKE DOMINOS THERE WILL BE MORE FAILED RUSTED PARTS UNDER THE JEEP LIKE BRAKE LINES ETC. FRIEND SAID SAFETY IS A HUGE CONCERN EVEN IF YOU WERE ABLE TO PATCH IT BECAUSE SO MUCH OF THE FRAME AND COMPONENTS ARE RUSTED SO BAD. I DON'T HAVE THE RESOURCES, KNOWLEDGE OR EXTRA MONEY TO THROW COUPLE GRAND AT IT AND REPLACE THE FRAME. SINCE THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE HAS ANYONE HAD ANY LUCK COMMUNICATING THIS TO JEEP CHRYSLER DEALERS OR HEARD ANYONE THAT HAS? COUPLE OPTIONS I SEE NOW ARE TO PART IT OUT OR TRY TO SELL IT AS IT STANDS. ANY SUGGESTIONS? I NEVER WENT ON ANY ROUGH TRAILS BECAUSE IT WAS A PRIMARY VEHICLE. FOR A 2000 JEEP WRANGLER SPORT TJ THIS IS A HUGE SAFETY ISSUE. DOES JEEP NOT TREAT THE FRAMES WITH RUST PROTECTION? IS THE FRAME JUST POORLY DESIGNED? WILL NEVER PURCHASE ANOTHER JEEP VEHICLE. *TR

-AT APPROXIMATELY FIFTY-FIVE TO SIXTY MILES PER HOUR, THE VEHICLE'S FRONT END BEGINS TO SHAKE VIOLENTLY. I HAVE PERSONALLY RESEARCHED THE PROBLEM AND DISCOVERED THAT IT IS COMMONLY CALLED, "DEATH WOBBLE" AMONGST OTHER JEEP OWNERS. THE ISSUE TYPICALLY OCCURS AFTER HITTING A BUMP IN THE ROAD OR DRIVING AROUND A BEND ON THE HIGHWAY. SINCE THE FIRST INCIDENT IN EARLY 2009, I HAVE TAKEN THE VEHICLE TO A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT LOCAL MECHANICS FOR A DIAGNOSIS AND HAVE HEARD DIFFERENT SUGGESTED COURSES OF ACTION FROM EACH ONE. I HAVE HAD A NUMBER OF COMPONENTS REPLACED ON THE VEHICLE INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE (1) TRACKING BAR, (2) U-JOINTS, (3) STEERING DAMPENER ETC. I HAVE ALSO HAD AN ENTIRE NEW SET OF TIRES REPLACED ON THE VEHICLE. ALTHOUGH REPLACING THE TRACKING BAR WORKED TEMPORARILY, THE PROBLEM SOON RETURNED AFTER ADDING AN ADDITIONAL 10,000 - 15,000 MILES TO THE VEHICLE. -ALTHOUGH MANY OTHER JEEP OWNERS HAVE REPORTED THE SAME ISSUE OVER THE YEARS, NO ACTION HAS BEEN TAKEN IN THE FORM OF A RECALL FROM THE FORMER "DAIMLERCHRYSLER AG" OR ITS SUCCESSOR "CHRYSLER GROUP L.L.C." OR IT'S SUBSIDIARY "JEEP CORPORATION." *TR

I WAS DRIVING ALONG A RURAL ROAD WHEN I HIT A BUMP AND THE TRANSMISSION CROSSMEMBER TORE AWAY FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE FRAME MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE TO SHIFT IN TO 2ND, 4TH, OR REVERSE. IT IS DUE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE FRAME ROTTING AWAY. UPON CLOSER INSPECTION I HAVE NOTICED THAT THE FRAME IS ROTTED BEYOND REPAIR AND THE LOWER CONTROL ARM BRACKETS ARE IN DANGER OF BEING RIPPED FROM THE FRAME IF VEHICLE IS DRIVEN. THE FRAME HAS PREMATURELY ROTTED AND IS A DANGER TO ANYONE WHO DRIVES OR ENCOUNTERS THIS VEHICLE ON THE ROAD IN PASSING. I HAVE INVESTIGATED THE POSSIBILITY OF REPLACING THE FRAME BUT HAVE FOUND IT HARD TO FIND A SUITABLE REPLACEMENT DUE TO THIS PROBLEM BEING VERY WIDESPREAD. IT IS IN FACT SO WIDESPREAD THAT A COMPANY CALLED AUTO RUST REPAIR MAKES PREFAB FRAME PATCHES. THESE INCIDENTS OF ROT ARE VERY SIMILAR TO THE ONES THAT CAUSED TOYOTA TO RECALL MANY PICKUPS OVER THE LAST FIVE YEARS OR SO. *TR